When Tides Change
by Mimi Cade
Summary: To her, he can be nothing more than someone else to tell her what to do or he could be her only friend in the world. To him, she can be just a little kid he's gotta take care of or the only one in the hell he lives that he can talk to. Either way, they're both emotional wrecks using everything they've got to hide it and neither of them knows how to control it.
1. I

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _The Outsiders_.

* * *

"Ms. Crane?" the teacher asked and my head snapped up at the sound of my name. Mrs. Gardner gave me that look I'd learned to expect. She glared at me, her arms crossed over her chest. I felt the entire class looking at me and heard a snicker come from my friend at the other end of our table.

"Uh…yes?" I offered, not knowing what she wanted.

"Do you have a response?" she questioned, stiffly.

"To what?" I ask, confused.

The teacher sighed in frustration. "If I catch you daydreaming in my class one more time, Ms. Crane, that'll be detention," she hissed. I didn't mention that she'd said the same thing to me every day this week. Her threats were scary but I'd learned over the year that they were fairly empty and she'd only punish me if I really, _really _deserved it. Writing out a detention slip for daydreaming wasn't worth her time. Sighing, Mrs. Gardner turned to find another unlucky victim. Her glance didn't travel far before it landed on my friend, who still couldn't get over how funny it was for me to get caught zoning out. "Mr. Randle," Mrs. Gardner spoke, her voice just as hard as before. "Please tell me you can answer the question?"

His face didn't turn red under pressure like mine had but instead he kept that calm, cool, and collected look he always seemed to wear with a smug smirk. "Yes, Mrs. Gardner," he said, articulating his words and I knew this would be good. There was a good five minutes of class left and Steve would make it go out with a bang. "Unlike Ms. Crane over here," he gestured to me before continuing and I had to stifle a giggle with my hand, "I can tell you the difference between a biography and an autobiography. A biography is written about a person whereas an _auto_biography—my personal favorite—is written about a car." The class erupted into laughter.

Mrs. Gardner didn't bother to resist the urge to roll her eyes as she turned her back on the class and headed to the chalkboard. She picked up a piece of chalk and began to write our assignment on the board. Without looking over her shoulder she said, "Thank you, Mr. Randle, for that enlightening response but I'd appreciate it if you left your comedic tendencies outside of my classroom, thank you. Now, a biography is written by one person about another and an autobiography is written by one person about himself or herself. Over the weekend I'd like you to write a brief biography about your partner. And Mr. Mathews, before you ask, you cannot repeat the same sentence over and over again. I expect at least two hundred words. It's due on Monday." The entire class groaned simultaneously.

"Guess that means I'm stuck with you, Crane," Steve said, leaning towards me.

I rolled my eyes. "I think I'll call your biography 'The Life of a Trouble, Misinterpreted Juvenile Delinquent'. What do you think?"

"Pretty wordy, that's what I think. Hey, do you think the title will count as part of the thousand words?"

Just after he finished asking his question, the bell rang and students rushed for the door, Steve and I included. Two-Bit Mathews, the boy Mrs. Gardner had referred to, caught up to us as we emerged into the sea of students we call a hallway.

"Ms. Crane," Two-Bit mocked Mrs. Gardner, waving a finger at me as we made our way through the hallway and towards the front of the school. "That will be the last time you daydream in my classroom, understand young lady?"

I chuckled.

"Two-Bit," Steve said. "I find it very odd that you're impression of a woman in her forties is so…believable."

"It's compelling," I added, sarcastically.

"Ah, all thanks to my fantastic skills in the dramatic arts," he declared, putting a hand to his heart.

By this point we'd made our way out of the building and were heading towards the parking lot where Ponyboy Curtis was already leaning against Steve's 1966 Thunderbird, an arm slung over his girlfriend's shoulder.

"Hey, kid," Steve shouted at him. "Get off the car."

Ponyboy shook his head a little and huffed in irritation but stood up straight nonetheless. We all knew that if there was one thing Steve Randle cared about in this world, it was his car. The DX was a well-known garage in Tulsa thanks to Steve and even got a few cars from the West side of town. A couple of months ago, a guy from the richer part of Tulsa crashed up his car and brought it to the DX to be fixed. Steve told the guy what he could do for the car but it didn't satisfy him. He was convinced the car was useless. The guy was going to send the car to the junkyard but Steve wasn't about to let an opportunity like that slip through his fingertips. Steve had been saving for a while and easily convinced the guy to sell him the car for a quarter of what he'd originally bought it for. The guy thought Steve was a fool for buying a car that didn't even work but he didn't know that Steve was the best mechanic in Tulsa and could fix just about any car. Considering what it looked like just four months ago, the car is remarkable. I almost didn't blame Steve for being so uptight about it.

"Later, Steve-O, Ponyman," Two-Bit called, walking over towards his own car. "See ya 'round Ellie. Looking gorgeous, Cathers!"

Ponyboy scowled at Two-Bit's last remark. Ever since Ponyboy had started dating Cathy Carlson and had become excessively overprotective Two-Bit had made it his mission to flirt with the poor girl. Of course it had no influence on her. Whenever Two-Bit would comment on how cute Cathy looked or something like that, she'd simply smile and say thanks. Ponyboy would turn red with jealousy, though, sending death glares Two-Bit's way which only made him crack up with laughter. Ponyboy was definitely the possessive type.

The slamming sound of car doors opening and closing along with tires screeching against the pavement filled the air. As usual, Steve got in the driver's seat as I walked over to the passenger's, leaving Cathy and Ponyboy with the back.

"You going to the game tonight, Ellie?" Steve asked me, making his way out of the cluttered parking lot.

"Think so. You and Soda still going?" I asked.

"I think everyone is," he replied. "Even Darry. Hey Ponyboy? You going to the game tonight?"

"Yeah," Ponyboy answered. "The both of us."

"Good. You're gonna want to see Ellie drunk, Cathy. It's quite a sight," he smirked.

"Oh, is it now?" I said sarcastically, cocking one eyebrow like Two-Bit had taught me.

"Oh, yeah. Dal's been waiting all week to get you drunk. You're quite the comedian. Hey, Cath, how well can you hold a drink?" Steve asked, looking at her through the rear view mirror.

Cathy blushed slightly but it wasn't all that noticeable. By now, she'd have to know you could never predict what Steve Randle would say next. "Well, I'm not a very heavy drinker."

"Aw that'll change once you spend a Friday night with Ellie. Don't go too overboard, though. You'll want to remember all the stupid stuff she does."

I threw my head back and looked up at the ceiling of the car, laughing. I'm not as bad as Steve makes me out to be. Of course I drink. It's rare to come across somebody on my side of town who doesn't but I wasn't one of those girls who got drunk after two beers. I'm pretty smart about drinking. Never will you catch me putting a drink down where anybody could get at it. I've heard too many stories of girls getting into certain situations they would not have gotten into if they had just kept their drink in their hand.

I looked to the back of the car. Ponyboy was looking like he wasn't so sure about going anymore while Cathy had a polite smile on her face but I could tell she wasn't quite positive either. The two of them are such good kids.

Steve drove us all to the Curtis house where Soda, Johnny, and Dally would already be. Steve and I got out of the car and headed up to the house. When I got to the door I noticed Ponyboy and Cathy hadn't followed. Curiously, I turned back to see what the hold up was. The couple was holding hands and walking towards the lot.

"They're so cute," I sighed before Steve could open the door. He turned to see what I was talking about and chuckled.

"Who? The lovebirds? Yeah, whatever you say, Ellie," he tried to sound bitter but I could see the smirk coming through. I playfully punched him in the shoulder.

"Oh, please, Steve. You wish you were as sweet as Ponyboy," I teased but before either of us could say anything else he opened the door and we were welcomed by a lovely comment from our dear friend, Dallas Winston.

"What the fuck does the damn broad expect me to do?" he yelled. Dally was leaning up against the doorframe by the kitchen smoking a cigarette while Johnny and Sodapop were lounging on the couch and watching something on the TV. I couldn't tell whether or not they were listening to Dally complain.

"Who are you cryin' about now, Dal?" I asked while falling into Darry's chair and slinging my legs over one arm of the chair so my head was leaning against the other arm.

"Fucking Sylvia," he shouted. Honestly, I never understood how that girl got him so worked up. It was obvious he didn't care about her and she didn't give two shits about him but for some reason she knew all the right buttons to push to make Dally go berserk.

I smiled a little. "How is ol' _Saliva _these days?"

"Still a good for nothing whore." He let out a puff of smoke and I cringed, smelling it from across the room. I hated when the guys smoked inside. The smell was insufferable.

"What'd she do this time?" I asked, eyeing the TV. _Casablanca _was on.

I turned back to Dally to see he was looking at me like I was stupid. What else is new? "What do you think she did, Ellie?"

I raised my eyebrows, signaling him to continue. He rolled his eyes and stuck his cigarette in the corner of his mouth so he could cross his arms over his chest. "The bitch was sleeping around!" he clamored and took the cigarette from his mouth, blowing out a breath of smoke. "Fucking broad!"

I tried not to laugh, knowing that would only get my teeth kicked in. "Dally, she's done this to you before. I don't understand how it gets you so baffled every time. You've gotta see it coming. Nothing will make her change. She'll always be this way."

I don't mean to sound so unsupportive but it was the truth. I always got pretty fed up with listening to the same things over and over again about Sylvia.

I could tell he was starting to get mad at me. Everyone always said I should watch my mouth with Dallas Winston. Maybe I should.

"You just think it's so fucking simple, don't ya? Well guess what, sweets? It ain't so pretty," he roared. He ran a hand through his hair before striding across the room and slamming the door shut behind him as he left.

We all just stared at the door for a moment before Steve looked over at me. "Nice going, Ellie. Real smooth."

I bit my lip as I realized all the possible ways I might've handled that situation better. For example, following what everyone else did by letting Dally rant all the while keeping my big mouth shut.

I sat up straight and leaned back into the armchair. The good mood I'd been in was gone. I had the audacity to think it was all Sylvia's fault. Sure, Sylvia could be blamed for a lot of things but my disturbing the peace was not one of them.

"Well that put a damper on the spirit," I sighed, looking at the floor.

Sodapop chuckled at that comment. He stood up from the couch and walked to the oversized armchair where he slid in next to me, forcing me to move over. "Eleanor, you have nobody to blame for that but yourself." I winced at the use of my full name. The only time anybody ever calls me Eleanor is when my mother's mad at me or one of the gang's trying to get a point across. This case would be the latter. "You know Dally," Soda said. "He's gonna go get into a fight or steal a pack of cigarettes and he'll be fine."

"That boy is just so…moody," I said, smiling at my lack to come up with a better adjective to describe Dallas Winston.

Steve laughed. "Yeah, Ellie. He's like you on your period but instead of hating the world for a week every month Dally just hates the world all the time."

I made a face at him. "Hey, I told you not to joke about my period! It's a personal matter and I do not feel comfortable discussing it with any of you."

Sodapop nudged me when I crossed my arms over my chest and tried to look mad. "Oh, c'mon, Ellie. You couldn't be mad at us if you tried."

"You wanna bet?" I replied.

"Aw, even lil Johnnycake? C'mon, Johnny hasn't said one word since you walked in here," Sodapop reasoned.

I pursed my lips and looked over at Johnny. "That's true. Johnny, how was your day today?" I asked, uncrossing my arms and sitting up which caused Soda to fall back deeper into the cushion.

He sent me a small smile, to which I replied a wide ear-to-ear grin, and said simply, "S'alright."

"How's working at the DX with Sodapop been treatin' ya?"

"It's good, thanks."

About a year ago, after the whole thing with Johnny, Ponyboy, and those Socs went down, Johnny was hospitalized because of the fire he and Ponyboy had dove into and the doctors were near sure he was going to die. Dally and Ponyboy were visiting him right after the big rumble of the Socs vs. the greasers and were sure he'd gone on us when he passed out cold but truth was he'd only gone into a coma. Dally was so sure he was dead that he tried to commit suicide by pulling an unloaded gun on a cop. Luckily, the bullet hit him just enough to get him sent back to the hospital for a few days. Meanwhile, Johnny was in a coma for three months and Dally was thrown into jail for about the same amount of time right after the doctors assured he could go. After Johnny finally woke up he had to go through months of physical therapy. The gang put in every spare dollar we had to get him out of that hospital bed. Eventually, Johnny did it. He could walk again. Every doctor in that hospital had told us he'd never have control of his legs again but here he was walking. Soon enough, Johnny left the hospital and went back to school. It was already hard enough on him considering all the work he'd missed and all the catching up he needed to do. Then he started to get harassed by friends of Bob Sheldon, the boy he'd killed. It came to the point where Two-Bit, Steve, or I were walking Johnny from class to class to make sure everything was alright but that didn't stop them. I guess Johnny had just had enough of it so he quit school and Sodapop hooked him up with a job at the DX. Steve helped him out with the mechanics and things weren't too bad. Every once in awhile a customer would come in, see Johnny, and then leave but it wasn't to the point where the boss noticed. Johnny's still got to be careful, though. Not only of the Socs but his back will never be in perfect condition again. But thing's have gotten a lot better. Johnny moved out of his parents place and into the Curtis house. We all knew Johnny felt like he was a burden on all of us, especially Darry since he moved in with them but he's anything but. Besides, he gives every paycheck he makes to Darry at the end of the week and is always trying to make himself useful. Anyways, it was always good to know Johnny was doing okay.

"Hey," Steve said. "When are we leaving anyways? It's already almost four and I need to find a camera so that I can record every precious detail of Ellie's night."

I sighed exasperatedly as I got up, knowing I was in for one hell of a night, and started for the door. "Whatever, Stevie. I should go home and check in with my mom. I'll be back in a little bit."

* * *

**A/N: **Okay first off I'd like to thank Mikayla Winston for coming up with this lovely title. She's amazing! If you haven't already, please go check out her stories. She will be updating soon. They're lovely, just like her.

I'd also like to thank . for beta-reading this. She's another great author. Go check out her story _In With The Outsiders_. It's awesome!

And to anybody who's reading _The Great Escape_, I don't know what I'm going to do with that story. Honestly, I don't like where it's going and I feel it's unrealistic and extremely far-fetched. Though I wouldn't call my OCs Mary-Sues, they do share a few similar traits. Right now, the story's on hiatus but I do think I'll be rewriting it when I have the time.

Sorry for such a long author's note. They aren't usually like this. Anyways, let me know what you think? Thanks for reading! I love you! Xoxo


	2. II

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _The Outsiders_.

* * *

The moment I stepped into the house, I could tell something was weird. My mother's usually home when I get back from school on Friday's. She was home but she wasn't in her waitress uniform like she'd normally be in. Instead she was wearing that blue dress that made her eyes pop and the pearls she only wore when Grandma and Auntie Jane come over for Christmas dinner.

I opened the door and walked down the hallway. Instead of smelling something coming out of the oven freshly baked I could smell her fancy perfume. I found my mother in the bathroom. The door was open so I peered inside to see what she was up to. She stood in front of the mirror, applying a thin coat of light pink lipstick. She saw me out of the corner of her eye and looked towards the door.

"How do I look?" she asked, twirling around. It reminded me of when I was seven years old and convinced I would grow to be a ballet prodigy and, despite my lack of dance skills, my mother had brought me to ballet lessons and danced around the parlor with me anyway.

"Great," I answered. "But you should go for the red lipstick. It'll make your lips stand out more. What's the occasion?"

My mother rarely ever went out dressed up. The only reasons she went out much at all was to go to my aunt's house or run some errands. So naturally, I was surprised to come home and find her all dolled up.

"Nothing too fancy," she replied, holding the red lipstick tube up to her face and looking at the reflection as if she were checking how the color might look. She must've not liked the outcome because she quickly placed the tube back into her makeup bag. She turned to face me again before proceeding out of the bathroom and towards the kitchen. I followed her, waiting for a further answer. "I'm just going out to coffee with one of my classmates, Ellie. It's not a big deal."

If it wasn't a big deal she wouldn't have been wearing the pearls but I didn't say that.

"When will you be home?" I asked.

"I'm going to Aunt Jane's for a little while afterwards," she said, leaning against the kitchen counter. "I didn't think you'd mind. You're going to the football game at your school tonight, aren't you?"

"Yes," I said, and then added a little sarcastically, "I'm just worried about my mother."

She smiled sweetly. "Oh, Ellie, darling, you've got nothing to worry about. I'll probably be home before you are and if I'm not I'm sure you can go to the Curtis'. You can have someone over if you'd like to. Just try to keep things in order."

I nodded. "Okay."

"What time is it?" she asked herself, looking up at the clock. It read four fifteen. "I'm going to get going." She walked into the hallway, opening the coat closet and pulling out her jacket. "Please, try not to get too carried away at the game tonight. And try to keep those boys out of trouble," she said from the hallway.

"I always do," I replied.

"And they do the same for you, don't they?"

"Of course, Mom. Except for that Johnny Cade boy," I said, joking. "He's such a punk."

"Aw, Johnny," my mother cooed, sounding like a mother would, as she stepped back into the kitchen. "I love Johnny. He's just so cute. How's he been holding up lately?"

"He's hanging in there."

"Good. Have you talked to Evie, lately? I haven't seen her around in awhile."

"Yeah, everyday in math," I said and smiled. My mother gave me a scornful look that soon disappeared and her visage returned to its natural amiable state. My mother could never stay mad long.

"You shouldn't talk in class," she said, going through her bag. "Tell everyone I said hi, will you?" she asked, starting for the front door.

"I will," I followed her.

She kissed me on the cheek before opening the door. "Be a good kid tonight. I love you."

"Love you, too," I responded and she shut the door behind her.

My mother, Clara Robinson, is the most compassionate woman I've ever met. Maybe I just think that because she's my mother but it's gotta be true. She had me real young, when she was only eighteen. If she could, my mother would have had a dozen more children but she was never making much money to begin with and being a single mom didn't help her financially. She had my grandmother and aunt to lean back on but she's always had this sort of independence to her. She says that's one of the bad qualities I get from her. We're both pretty stubborn and don't like feeling helpless. My mother always told me I look a lot like my father but I'm not sure if she was just saying that or not. I've seen pictures of him when he was younger and it's kind of true, I guess. I have the same dark colored hair as he did. My eyes are my own though. My dad had light blue eyes and my mom's got dark brown ones. Mine stray aside and are the same color as freshly cut grass or spring leaves.

My mother and father had been high school sweethearts but almost as soon as I was born things got complicated. I don't hate him for not always being around but I guess it can be hard, for Mom more than for me. My mother had been forced to drop out of senior year to have me. My father stayed in school but he doesn't put much use to his education nowadays.

My mother hadn't been gone for five minutes before my door swung open. I might've assumed it was her again, back to pick up something she'd forgotten, if the door hadn't slammed into the wall and was followed by heavy footsteps down the hall. For as long as I can remember there's been a dent in the wall where the doorknob hits it every time a few certain people welcome themselves into my house.

I'd been lounging on the couch in my living room, flipping through a magazine covered in a collage of The Beatles with pink hearts around their faces. I didn't look up until Two-Bit and Steve were standing directly in front of me.

"Howdy boys," I said, throwing the magazine to the other end of the couch.

Steve picked it up and looked at it, scoffing. "I can't believe you're still into these bozos, El. I thought it'd just be a phase."

"The Beatles are not bozos, Stephen. They're musical geniuses," I argued, standing up.

Two-Bit laughed. "That's the same thing my sister said about 'em, Ellie."

"Well, I gotta like 'em, working at the record store and hearin' about 'em all day. They've got very good music," I persisted.

"Yeah, whatever. Listen to your Soc music," Steve said, which was his way of giving up without totally surrendering. "We're goin' to the Dingo before the game. You comin' or what?"

"Yeah, I'll come. Who else is going?" I asked as we started for the door.

"Uh," Two-Bit said, looking like he was thinking really hard. "Me, you, Steve-O, Pepsi-Cola, Superman, and Johnnycake. I'm thinkin' we'll find Dallorama down there pickin' a fight with someone and if he ain't at the Dingo we'll see him on the way there. Ponyman and Cathers'll probably meet us at the high school or somewhere along the way. Who knows with that kid, anyways?"

Right as we made our way across the street from my house to the Curtis's, everyone came crowding out. We all piled into Darry's Chevy. Being the smallest of us all, I usually ended up lapping it when all of us drove in one car but because Dally and Ponyboy weren't there I got to actually sit in a seat for once.

Just like usual, Darry drove with Sodapop and Steve up front beside him while Two-Bit, Johnny, and I climbed into the back. The car ride to the Dingo was filled with insults, jokes, threats, so on and so forth. In a nutshell, driving in a car for just five minutes with these guys was really something to live for.

When we pulled up in front of the Dingo, like on a typical Friday, it was crowded. We forced our way inside and all slid into a booth. A waitress I didn't recognize came up to us almost immediately, which was surprising considering how many people were there.

"Hello," she greeted, in an accent I could tell didn't come from Oklahoma. I couldn't decipher but it sounded like it came from an eastern state. "My name's Charlene and I'll be your server today. What can I get for you?" She pulled a pocket-sized notepad out of her apron along with a pencil and got ready to start jotting down our order.

"We'll have three rounds of fries and six chocolate milkshakes," Darry stated.

"Aw, Dar," Two-Bit said. "I love it when you order for me. So what're you guys getting?" he looked around at us expectantly.

The waitress smiled, "I'll be right back with your food," and walked off towards the counter.

"Hey, El," Two-Bit said, trying to push me out of the booth. "Move it."

I leaned into him so I wouldn't fall. "How come?"

"'Cause I see some broads over there. C'mon Soda, let's go show 'em the moves."

I rolled my eyes but stood up so that they could slide out. Sitting back down, I looked in the direction of the two girls Two-Bit had pointed out. They both seemed to have eyes for Soda but Two-Bit started the conversation with a joke, judging by the laughter, and managed to get the attention of the blonde one.

I looked back to our table, which now only consisted of Darry, Steve, Johnny, and me.

"What am I gonna do with that kid?" Darry asked, mostly to himself, as he shook his head and watched Soda. "Cars and girls. Cars and girls." He laughed, "That's all he ever thinks about."

It was nice to see Darry laugh. Ever since Ponyboy ran off last year, Darry's been trying as hard as he can to loosen up but he still had bills and work to take care of. He was always stressed out but he'd learned ease up a bit.

"What did you think about when you were eighteen, Darry?" Steve asked, his signature smirk coming into play.

Darry chuckled and looked at him. "Football and girls."

Before anyone could make a response, Charlene the waitress reappeared along with another waitress I recall named Roseanne. They placed the fries and multiple milkshakes on the table in front of us. Roseanne offered us a polite smile before rushing off to another table but Charlene lingered behind.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" she beamed, eagerly. She was definitely new around here but I could tell she was looking for a reason to stick around.

"Uh, yeah, actually," Darry said. "Could you bring these two milkshakes over to those two knuckleheads?" Darry pointed to Two-Bit and Soda who were now seated at the counter.

Charlene looked crestfallen at the request but quickly smiled again and picked up the two drinks, walking off towards Two-Bit and Sodapop.

I watched her for a second, curiously, but brushed off all interest and focused on my milkshake. The Dingo is known for their milkshakes.

"Who are we playing tonight?" Johnny spoke up, regarding the football game.

"Some school from Oklahoma City. There's a good chance we'll win," Steve answered.

It was the first football game of the year and the coach made sure—just like every year—that we played a team we could beat. The school we were playing, the Christopher McKean high school, won about as many games last year as we did. The games were always exciting because scores could get cut pretty close but in the end, Will Rogers usually made it on top.

We all dug into the fries in front of us. The guys have always teased me, saying I eat like a horse for a girl. Especially Dally. He loved to point out how unladylike I could be at times.

"Hey, Ellie," Steve called. "You talk to Evie today?"

I gave him a funny look. "Yes, Steve. I did talk to your girlfriend today. Why?"

"Is she going to the game tonight?"

I shrugged. "Why don't _you _ask her? You guys are a couple, right?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Just barely. She's mad at me again."

Since Steve and Evie started dating, I'd become the intermediary between the two. Multiple times I'd tried to get out of it but I was constantly asked about things the other had said. I'd been a good friend with both of them before they started dating so they both saw it fit to consult me about one another, no matter how I'd protest.

"What'd you do this time?" Darry asked.

"Her sister—ya know, Jennifer, the really hot one who owns the shop—well, last week I was over at their place waiting for Evie so we could go out and her sister walks in. So her sister asks me if she looks okay and me, being the nice guy I am, tell her she looks good and Evie decided that'd be the perfect moment for her to walk in. Now, I personally don't see the problem but Evie sure does and I'm bent out of shape 'cause I'm damn near sure her sister did it on purpose."

I'm pretty sure Darry, me, and even Johnny rolled our eyes simultaneously.

"Jesus, Steve," Darry groaned. "Don't you know to never compliment a girl's sister?"

"What was I supposed to do? Tell her she looked bad? Evie still would've gotten pissed at me for insulting her sister!"

"Yeah, but now she thinks you'd rather date her sister," Darry said.

Steve couldn't seem to wrap his mind around how he screwed up. "If I wanted to date her sister then I would date her sister. Easy as that."

Darry shook his head. "The female's brain is a little more complicated than that, Stevie. Right, El?"

"Well, compared to Steve," I added.

"You shut up," Steve shouted across the table before taking a fry and dipping it in his milkshake.

I took a long sip of my shake, "What time does the game start, anyways?"

"Some time after six. We got some time," Darry said.

Just then Two-Bit and Sodapop slid back into the booth. While they were with those girls, Dally had reappeared. He slid into the seat next to me, taking my shake.

"Hey!" I started but decided fighting for it wouldn't be worth it. I jabbed my elbow into his ribs instead. Turning my attention to Sodapop and Two-Bit, who had started to devour the fries from their plates, I asked, "What happened to those broads? Did they already know the moves?"

Soda smiled. "Yeah, El. That's it."

"No," Two-Bit contradicted. "They most certainly did not know the moves."

"Well, what happened?" Steve pushed.

Soda started chuckling. "They thought we were together."

"They what?" Dally asked, breaking out into laughter.

Two-Bit was trying hard not to but eventually even he cracked a smile. "The girls told Sodapop and me we made a cute couple."

Darry shook his head, much like he had minutes earlier. "God help me," he muttered.

The entire table erupted in fits of laughter, earning us some curious looks form the surrounding tables.

"So, Dal," Steve said. "Where'd you run off to?"

Dally looked up at him. "I was goin' towards Buck's but I bumped into Shepard. Not Tim, the other one. The really stupid one Ponyboy hangs around, what's his name?"

"Curly?' I filled in.

"Yeah, that's it. Bumped into him down by the lot. Kid said Shepard's back from Texas and lookin' for me."

"What for?" Johnny asked.

Dally shrugged. "Beats me. Who knows with Tim?"

The guys proceeded to talk about Tim's most recent visit with the Texas State Prison. Sometimes I thought they could gossip better than a bunch of girls. I didn't much pay attention to the rumors spreading across the table, some whispered and some shouted for the whole restaurant to hear. Instead I looked around the restaurant for anyone I might recognize. Nobody caught my eye, initially. I noticed the waitress, Charlene, looking towards our table before pulling some cash out of the register but I didn't think much of it.

I turned back to the boys, grabbing my milkshake from Dally and sucking down what was left. "Let's get going," I interrupted whatever they were talking about. "I wanna get there before it gets too crowded."

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading. I have a few short side notes. First off, special thanks to Mikayla Winston and Corrin Winston (C'mon, who _doesn't_ love the Winston? Dally would be proud, girls!) for their reviews. Second, sorry it's a little shorter than the first chapter. I'm trying to keep them at a decent length. Third, sorry this chapter is so filler. I'm trying not to rush into things too quickly. I think that's what caused _The Great Escape _to take a turn for the worst. I'm hoping to keep this story on track. Okay, that's it. I hope you liked chapter 2. There's more to come :D


End file.
